How Pharmacies & Drug Stores Can Convert Facebook Fans to Customers
by Jeff Molander
Time to read: 2.5 minutes. Some of today’s best pharmacies and drug stores are creating sales with Facebook, Forsquare, Twitter and other social media. But some of the biggest names, like Walgreens, continue to merely hand out coupons. Sure, discounts ring the cash register but broadcasting coupons and circulars over social platforms is not very effective. Pioneering retail stores are communicating directly with individual customers—identifying specific itches and suggesting ways to alleviate them with products and services relevant to that customers’ problem. THAT is social media at its best.
A quick examination of how Walgreens uses Facebook and Twitter reveals limited successes as compared to smaller pharmacies. Stores like Harris-Teeter are ringing the cash register and pleasing loyal customers more often by solving their problems, not merely handing them a coupon.
Walgreens: Coupons, Contests & Time-Wasters
Like most businesses using Facebook and Twitter Walgreens is primarily using them to hand out coupons and discounts. The pharmacy recently partnered with LocalResponse to hand coupons for Halls cough drops to customers “checking in” on Foursquare via an automated Twitter reply. No, customers weren’t asking to be interacted with and, no, customers didn’t indicate they had a cold. But Walgreens figures it’s season so why not try handing them a coupon. Fair enough.
A study of the Walgreens Facebook page shows a myriad of contests, give-aways, coupons. And the ever-popular irrelevant “pizza or wings?” and “who likes beautiful weather?” conversation-starters that social media gurus tell us shows everyone Walgreens “has a human side.”
Harris Teeter: Relevant Answers to Real-Time Problems
East-coast based Harris Teeter actually pays customers with cold, hard cash to post their diet, health, wellness or fitness questions on their Facebook page. Customers are rewarded with gift cards for aiming questions at each store’s registered dietician. The 250-store chain’s pharmacies also have small grocery stores attached to them.
Why would a pharmacy reward customers to ask questions? Simply put, because this is a chance to understand what problem the customer needs solved, at that very moment. By answering questions related to, say, a mom’s battle with “picky eater’s syndrome” or a young man’s struggle with celiac disease a store can understand where customers need guidance in their lives—so the store can be the guide.
Harris Teeter is using this strategy to effectively guide more customers, more often, toward relevant products and services that they really do need. Yes, they also have contests on Facebook and push coupons out on Twitter but contrast this problem solving approach with Walgreens. Walgreens does not cater to individual customers’ needs; rather, it guesses at them (at best) and automates coupon distribution.
Harris Teeter: Truly Engaging Before it Was Fashionable
If you think about it, Harris Teeter’s in-store dietician represents a commitment before social media ever showed up. This pharmacy is investing real money in being “social” in its stores by solving customers problems through qualified healthcare practitioners. Extending this practice to Facebook makes good sense and can streamline the store’s ability to answer questions, solve problems and thus ring the cash register faster—WITHOUT DISCOUNTING!
Walgreens should consider a more savvy, customer-centric approach to social media strategies on Facebook and Twitter. Why wouldn’t they?
Photo credit: aussiegall
About the Author
Jeff Molander+ is the authority on making social media sell. He's a sought-after corporate trainer to small businesses and global corporations like Brazil's Petrobras. He's an accomplished entrepreneur, having co-founded what is today the Google Affiliate Network. Jeff also serves as adjunct digital marketing faculty at Loyola University’s school of business. His new book, Off The Hook Marketing: How to Make Social Media Sell for You, is first to offer businesses a clear, practical way to create leads and sales with technology platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and blogs.
Jeff
Clearly you’re the expert, so I want look to offer up a counter opinion based on our actual strategy, insights and data. But, I will point you to this great example that I think demonstrates you’re clearly not looking at the broad picture or the nitty gritty details http://www.pammarketingnut.com/2011/12/walgreens-case-study-humanizing-social-business/
I think we have a great handle on our community, but then again I have the benefit of seeing the real data, insights and feedback from our community.
Adam Kmiec
Walgreens
Director, Social Media
Hi, Adam…
I’m pleased to know you and hear of anything you’ll share with me. Thanks for the link. Respectfully, there is no shortage of stories like Pam’s. They are, in my humble opinion, based on a false premise: That Walgreens is perceived, by most of the world, as “not human.” I believe this to be a strawman designed to feed the frenzy of social media gurus and, yes, legitimate excitement about this new technology. My experience with Walgreens has been nothing BUT human.
From your link:
“Before I left Walgreens I received a tweet from them. They giggled with me and asked a few questions. They were interested in what set it was and engaged with me like a real human being would. Over the course of the next few days Walgreens and I twitter twattered back and forth. Given I was not feeling well they really did make my day that afternoon at Walgreens. It was nice to know they were listening and took the time to respond to me and my son as human beings.”
Again, did Pam really expect to get treated like crap? Was that her experience to date w/ Walgreens? Probably not! Pam could have interacted w/ Axe and Walgreens in any number of other ways. She did it on Twitter. Ok, great! But, again, is it that exciting or worth talking about without the false premise: Walgreens is, “normally like any other big company,” cold and “un-human-like?” I suggest not.
And perhaps more importantly I understand Pam wasn’t feeling well. But I think she’s exaggerating for the sake of excitement about social media. There was no meaningful exchange between Axe, Walgreens and Pam. The source of Pam’s joy on a bad day was her son’s behavior. The Twitter photo and ensuing laughter was anecdotal.
I do not consider “positive sentiment” (and the like) very valuable, broadly speaking, as compared to measurable increases in customer loyalty, increased sales transactions, etc. I don’t value it because it’s difficult to DO anything with positive sentiment once it’s created. It’s an outcome not a means to a better end. I think positive sentiment is PURELY based on customer satisfaction–NOT passive, cute, or funny social media interactions.
I realize this is core to what you do every day, all day long. This is not to diminish your work. I respect it and that you’d show up here to talk w/ me about it, educate me. Thank you again. This is just my opinion. I simply don’t find some of these things to be “valuable enough” but easy for me to say, eh?
And this is not to say that you’re not doing something that a guy like me would find truly remarkable. Maybe you are!